1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of devices used for loading and unloading packaged semiconductor devices from test carriers.
2. Background Art
The manufacturing of packaged semiconductor devices includes the testing of those devices to determine if they meet design specifications. Certain packaged semiconductor devices are known as pin grid array (PGA) packages because the leads from the package are arranged in an array containing one or several rows and generally arranged in a rectangular grid pattern. As part of the testing of these PGA devices, they are inserted into a carrier. The carrier is generally a piece of molded plastic and includes clips for retaining the PGA device in place after insertion. The clips must be spread apart for removal of the PGA device.
In the prior art, automatic machines have been used for loading and unloading a PGA device from test carriers. A prior art automatic loading device uses suction to pick up the device and insert it in a test carrier. Automatic unloaders of the prior art use a pulley and cam system to position a suction device over a device and remove the device from the carrier. In a production environment, automatic loaders and unloaders often break down. In such instances, a reliable means for manually loading and unloading the devices into test carriers is required.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means which can be used for both manual loading and unloading of test carriers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means which allows for high speed output and ease of operation. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a loading/unloading mechanism which provides mechanical assistance to the operator in unloading a PGA device from a test carrier.